Spirit of a Wolf original version
by FunnyCatGirl
Summary: I've decided to repost the original ten chapters for Spirit of a Wolf, even as I'm going through and rewriting the story. Here's the compilation of the original.


Spirit of a Wolf: Chapter One, Confusion.

A/n: this is my first attempt, so please don't be too harsh. The people who read it before I uploaded it said it was okay. I'll try to update often.

'Why does he do this to me? I know I shouldn't care, after six years and all, but I do.' Outwardly, she was calm and cool, but inwardly, her mind was in turmoil. She made her way to the library, to hide in one of the numerous volumes around her.

'Why do I keep saying things I don't mean? Why can't I just tell her how I feel? But she hates me. She'd just laugh, and use it against me- and break my heart again. She could never like me back, not after the way I'm such a jerk to her.' He stood there a minute longer, then spun on his heel and headed outside, off towards the Forbidden Forest, a quiet place where he could think. ' Huh. And Potter thinks I'm afraid of here. Just shows how stupid he is.'

'Why is he such a jerk? And why can't I get over him? If only he was nicer, no, wait. He'd just laugh and use it against you if you told him. That would break my heart- again.' "Hermione!" A voice brought her back from her thoughts. "Hermione? Hello?" "Oh, hey Ron. Where's Harry?"

"Dunno, probably some broom closet with…"

"Stop right there, I don't want to hear it."

"Anyway, Hermione, I've been trying to find you for a while now, you weren't in here a while ago."

"Why were you looking for me? I'm not going to play chess, you know I'd lose."

"No, that's not it. Um… well you know the Spring Ball is coming up next Friday… and I was wondering if you were going with someone…"

"No, no I'm not." She was only half paying attention to Ron, the other half to looking for a book.

"Well, Wouldjagowithme?" His ears were bright red.

She looked up in surprise, now fully paying attention to him.

"Ron…"

A/n: sorry, I know last chapter was really short, but I'll make up for short chapters by trying to update every day, or every couple days. It does get better, and longer, I promise! Just read and review. Please!

Spirit of a Wolf

Chapter Two: A new book?

"Ron, are you sure its me you want to go with? I mean, I saw Parvati giving you a look this morning. Wouldn't you rather go with her? I might not even go at all." Ron looked quite downcast at this.

"I had been planning on asking you for a while. Would you please go? With me?"

"I see…" She returned to the book, perusing it for a chapter she hadn't read. "Hermione?"

"Ron, this really isn't a good time. I…I don't feel too well. I'll talk to you tonight, after dinner." In truth, she was still upset over her encounter with… Him and Ron wasn't helping her mood at all. "All right, Hermione, if that's what you wish."

She gave him a grateful smile as he walked away before turning around and starting to look back at the book, just to slam it shut and look for another. What she found surprised her- a new book! She was sure she had read them all, but here was one she hadn't read, and by the look of it, it wasn't brand new, either. With the prospect of a new book to read, she brightened visibly- this was just what she needed. Everyone always thought that she read the books just to be a little-miss-know-it-all. In truth, she had read all the books in the library, at different times of course, to escape what was happening. To be able to deal with stressful or distressing run-ins with Him, which they always were, she'd find a new book and read it. It just happened to be lucky for her that she remembered everything that she read.

Since it was a Friday, and she had no afternoon classes, she went up to her dormitory and started reading. What she read surprised her. 'this book probably should be in the restricted section.' She mused. Being a seventh year, and top of her year, she was allowed in the restricted section. But she had never come across this book before. It seemed to be a journal, or diary of sorts, but published into a book. There were first hand accounts of run-ins with wild animals, the complex-looking spells used, and complete descriptions, drawings included, of some animals she had never heard of before. She was fascinated by the entry from a vampire himself, to explain him and his kind. "We aren't all bad," it said. "We're just really misunderstood. We don't go after humans except as a last resort, or if we're in a feeding frenzy."

There was also accounts of people who were wherwolves. She wasn't entirely sure what a wherwolf was, so she kept reading. Then she found what she was looking for.

"Wherwolves differ from werewolves in one major aspect. Wherwolves can turn into a wolf at any time, whereas werewolves only change, quite painfully I might add, at the full moon. Wherwolves are also much more dangerous than werewolves because they are bigger, stronger, and still retain all human thinking abilities during transformation."

"Man, wouldn't want to make one of them angry."

She read on, about all the characteristics of unicorns, serpentines, dragons, and many, many others.

"A potion made from wolfsbane, unicorn blood, dragon blood, and serpent venom will give the drinker the ability to transform into any shape at will- but be warned. If you stay in any form, even your original one, for more than an hour, you will be trapped permanently in that body, and your spirit shall be cursed to a limbo existence."

By the time she had finished, it was time for dinner, and she had made up her mind….

A/N: okay, I'm not that mean!

She went down the stairs, not even noticing which way she was going. Her mind was processing all she had just read. She finally reached the Great Hall and started eating automatically, not realizing what it was she was eating. Her mind was brought back to her body sharply when Dumbledore rose to make a speech.

"Students fifth year and up, as you know, the Spring Ball is next Friday, in one week. I'm hoping you'll all be there, and that you're going with someone. One point I would like to make clear, though, pertains to your outfits." Everyone grumbled, expecting a dress-code policy speech. "Your outfits must have something to do with some little-known fact about you. For example, if you were born on a certain holiday, wear something that exemplifies that. If your name means something in another language, show it somehow. Be creative. Oh, and one more thing, do not forget a mask. The first part is a masquerade. You will unmask your partners at ten o'clock. That is all, good night."

Hermione turned to Ron and he looked at her expectantly. "Ron, I'll go with you, but can we just go as friends?"

A/N: I did change a couple things in the last chapter, one of them being key. If you want to truly understand, I suggest you read the last chapter again. Thank you to all my reviewers!

Foamy the Squirrel: thank you soooo much, and don't forget to update your story, Blood of an Enemy. It is really good so far.

Ami: I don't know if you'll continue reading it, but I hope you do! -

Li1DarkAnge1: thank you sooo much for being my first reviewer. I might not have continued writing!

Areilla: thanks for the review! I know, I like it confusing!

Spirit of a Wolf

Chapter 3: The Spring Ball

That week went by in a whirlwind of activity, and before she knew it, it was Thursday evening and she still didn't have anything to wear. 'Something about me that's little known. What about my middle name? Isn't that Greek? Hardly anyone knows it, maybe I could work with that idea…' She hurried up to her room and got busy.

'What could I wear? What is little known about me, well besides many things. Maybe… no, that would be embarrassing if anyone figured it out… I would look like a muggle-lover. Well, what other choice do I have? I would have to make the cape, I guess I could make a mask, no, that wouldn't fit with the costume… but its a masquerade anyway. Damn it! I'm starting to sound like a girl, worrying about an outfit for a stupid ball! Maybe I won't go… I don't have anyone to go with, and I am NOT going with Pansy'

'What could I wear? Something that would accentuate my red hair, maybe. I couldn't wear a Chudley Cannons outfit, it's well known that I like them… what about… no… maybe this… yeah! I like it! It is a masked ball, after all. Woah, that rhymed. Okay, focus. I gotta get busy with this idea.'

'What could I wear that would impress her? Some thing that would make her like me? I haven't went out with anyone since Cho and I broke up in fourth year. I not too used to girls, besides Hermione of course. I'm a little shy, but what little-known trait could I use? I have no idea… and its tomorrow!'

All four of them were up late, making their outfits. None of them knew that they were doing the same thing as each other.

.The Next Day

All through classes on Friday, the students were riled up and hard put to work. Some of the teachers just gave up, and let the students talk. Others just planned an interesting activity, to try and keep them interested. In transfiguration, they were taught how to turn buttons into flowers, for those guys who hadn't gotten any yet. The only class that went on as usual was potions, and that wasn't a big surprise.

After double potions, the last class of the day for them, everyone hurried up to their dormitories to change and get ready. Hermione was putting the last touches onto her outfit when she happened to glance at her bedside table and see they book she had checked out earlier. Curious again, she decided to look trough it a little, after all, she had time. The dance didn't start for another half hour. She stopped flipping through it when she came across the spirit-switching spell. 'I don't recall reading this page, they must have been stuck together.' As she looked down into the book and read, she had a very peculiar feeling. It was as if someone was crying out in pain and anger, frustration and hurt. As quickly as it had come, it was gone. She shook her head to get rid of the feeling and returned to her book.

' _The spirit-switching spell is very handy for cases in which your body is in mortal peril in addition to switching your spirit to another being, it will confuse your attacker to the point of mental exhaustion. Be careful about which body you switch into, however, because if that body cannot invoke the reverse spell, you will be trapped in that body until the reverse spell is spoken.'_

'Hope I never have to use that one." And she barely glanced at the reverse spell.

She looked at the time and realized it was time to head down to the Great Hall. She finished getting ready, slipped on her sandals, and headed down to meet Ron, who was already down there.

As she entered the Great Hall, a couple boys' heads turned, but one in particular caught sight of her.

'Damn, she's hot! How could I have not seen it before? Check out that outfit! Stop! Stop it now, you know she doesn't like you, she freaking hates you!'

She soon picked out Ron by his red hair sticking out of the back of his costume. "Ron! Over here!" She ran over to him and gave him a hug. "So, what's with the Legolas costume?"

He blushed and mumbled something. "I can't hear you Ron, speak up!"

"I said, I saw this muggle movie once, and there was this really cool elf guy. I've always wished I could look as good as he does."

"Silly, he's not really an elf, its just a costume, like yours. Besides, you'd be better off anyway just being yourself. Not mimicking somebody else."

"Well, what's yours? I mean, where'd you come with the idea for that dress? It's…well, uh, weird. In a very good way, of course" He was trying to hide his embarrassment at just revealing his secret.

"It's an adaptation of an Ancient Greek outfit. My middle name is Athena, a Greek Goddess. I figured I could use that idea… Does it really look that weird?"

"No, you look great" He meant it. She was dressed in a turquoise blue dress, Greek style with the bunched top, no sleeves, and a high slit up the leg. Her hair was put back in ribbons, Greek style of course. In all, it was perfect on her. Through this whole thing, neither of them noticed the person in the corner, watching Hermione's every move and growing more and more jealous of Ron.

A/N: I'll try to update the fourth chapter very soon. I can't wait! Chapter four is going to be good. Please read and review! Please?

Disclaimer: I know, I know, I completely forgot about this in the last chapters, so I'll put it in here, chapter 4. I don't own anything Harry Potter, or anything else you'd recognize. Only the plot is mine.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I didn't get any reviews on chapter 3. Boo Hoo sits in corner crying I was hoping some good soul out there would review my pitiful story, but nobody did. Please review on this chapter, people, please! Also, don't forget my other fanfic, Princess of the Rising Sun. I know its pretty boring, and the title isn't anything to double-take at, but I'll update that one as well. Keep reviewing so that I'll update more often.

Okay, enough A/N, lets get on with the story.

Hermione and Ron were dancing to the music, each of them thinking about things other than each other. Ron had spotted this cute chick sitting by herself in the corner, looking at the dancers and merrymakers quite glumly. Hermione, on the other hand, was contemplating that feeling she had had just before coming down. Ron must have realized her frustration, because he looked down at her and asked what was wrong.

"I'm fine, Ron, why don't I just go get some punch."

"All right, I'll be here."

She walked on over to the punch table, and got something to drink, but before she could go back to Ron, she was stopped by Harry, and his date, Ginny.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed. "You're going out with Ginny! Why didn't you tell us!"

"I wanted to keep it a kind of secret…" he trailed off. "That's great you two!"

Hermione left them alone when they started snogging. She looked around the room, trying to find Ron. She finally found him in the far corner of the room, staring at the party. She walked over to him, curious as to why he was over there.

Diff. POV:

I was looking around the room, just trying to hide from Pansy, when SHE came towards me. I was shocked. She was coming towards me with a happy, yet curious expression. Why would she come towards me? I quickly looked around the room, where was the Weasel? There he was, over in a corner, talking to some new chick. Why wasn't she over with him? Then it hit me, he and I have the same costume. He briefly had time to wonder how it related to him, before she had overtaken him.

Hermione's POV

I found him leaning against a wall, looking at the crowd. Of what I could see of him, he looked quite surprised to see me. Why would he be? I went up to him and started talking.

Diff. POV

She thought I was Ron! How? Didn't she see him over there talking to that chick? Or is she doing this to play a cruel joke on me? No, it must be an honest mistake. Oh well, I might as well take advantage of the mistake to get to know her.

They had been talking about stupid stuff (mainly Hermione, with little input from him) for a while when Hermione suggested they take a walk. He mumbled a response, and they walked out into the gardens. They had been walking for a while when Hermione felt that strange feeling again, like somebody was crying out in pain and anguish. It was coming from the forbidden forest. For some reason, she felt the need to go help it, whoever, or whatever, it was. She turned to the Forbidden Forest with a blank gaze on her face. He must have noticed something, because he asked what was wrong. Something clicked in her mind, and she seemed to come back to herself.

"I'm all right, I have to go do something, I'll be back later, Draco. " She said before turning and running off towards the Forbidden Forest.

A/N: there, a nice little cliffie, to get back at all of you who read and didn't review. Well, you review, I post. At least 3 more reviews before chapter 5! evil laughter in the background, then a gagging noise Hairball! Just kidding! I gotta stop doing that, gagging while I'm laughing evilly, I mean.

I am running a little behind schedule, something was supposed to happen in this chapter, but it got bumped to next chapter. Here, as encouragement to review, I'll put here a segment of chapter 5.

"Potter, may I have a word with you?" Harry stood up next to Draco.

"Sure, Malfoy, I guess, what about?"

"Hermione."

"What!" Ginny and Harry said at once.

"I believe she's in danger. I need your help."

All right, then, just hit that button and submit your reviews!

Spirit of a Wolf

A/N: I know its been a while since I updated, but I promised I'd try too put up the next chapter of each of my stories before I left on vacation. (for complete story about why, see The Complete Story of My Totally Screwed Up Life) Don't forget to review on how you like it. Don't forget my other fanfics!

I must say thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. If I forget you, please don't bite my head off.

Sasha: sorry, I'm posting now

kat: thanks. I'm posting now

HeYiTsChUcHuI90: thanks. I'm glad that you like my stories. I said that many reviews before I posted because I'm going on vacation in about a week and I have another story I'm writing (completely my own idea, not a fanfic) that I need to have done before I go. I might end up updating again, but I can't guarantee. That's why I said that. BTW, when I said I didn't own the books, it was a disclaimer. I do own my own set of books, but I'm not the author. I didn't _write_ the books. Thank you for all the reviews!

Liz: thanks. Thank you a lot for your reviews. I really like them. Don't worry, Hermione'll be okay. She's the main character. She has to be okay. You'll see in a couple chapters. Keep reading!

Disclaimer: need I say it again? I don't own it.

Spirit of a Wolf

Chapter 5: The Changeling

Hermione turned and ran towards the Forbidden Forest, not reasoning about what may be in there. She ran and ran, faster and faster towards the source. She momentarily looked up at the moon and registered that it was full, but soon forgot that as she continued running. She broke into a clearing, and there, right in front of her, was a werewolf. He was standing over something, preoccupied, but she stepped on a stick, and the crack attracted its attention. The werewolf turned and ran towards her, angry at being bothered. With some quick spellwork, she was able to slow it down, but she couldn't dodge it fast enough and it's teeth grazed her shoulder as it went by. She was able to stun it as it turned around for another attack, but the damage had been done. She now had time to turn and look at what it had been attacking before.

"Potter, may I have a word with you?" Harry stood up next to Draco.

"Sure, Malfoy, I guess. What about?" he was puzzled, why was Malfoy talking to him this way? And what did he want?

Draco looked over at Ginny, who was hanging off his arm. "Hermione."

"What!" said Harry and Ginny at once. "What do you want with her?"

"I don't want something of her, I need your help. I believe she may be in danger."

Ginny and Harry were even more surprised. It must be important, Malf- no, Draco was talking civilly to them.

"Tell me what happened."

Draco proceeded to tell Harry all that had happened that night.

When Hermione got over to it, she realized it was a large Wolf. Both its hind legs were broken, so it couldn't stand. It just lay there on the ground, looking up at her in pain. She quickly bound it with a spell and healed the wounds. "Now, there there. You'll get better soon. Your legs are healed, but I'm not a medic, so you'll have a limp for the rest of your life." She was then surprised to hear a voice in her head. "I'm not really a wolf. I'm a wherwolf. These bonds are quite unnecessary. Would you please remove them? I'd be a lot more comfortable if you did."

She was greatly surprised, but answered back anyway. "How do I know you won't attack me once I release you?"

"You are a smart witch. On my honor, I am bound to your service for saving my life. If you hadn't come along, that werewolf might have killed me."

She was still a little doubtful, but she recognized the sincerity in his voice, and released him. He immediately stood up and shook, then bowed his head to her. "I am forever in your debt. My name is Lupe. What may I do for you?" She couldn't think of anything at the moment that she wanted. "I- I'm not sure. I don't really need or want anything right now. Just tell me, why was that werewolf trying to kill you?"

"He was crazy by the full moon. I tried to reason with him, to be with him so he could keep his mind. It didn't work. He bit my legs and broke them, and was then going to kill me without knowing what he was doing."

"Why were you there with him in the first place?"

"Because he is my brother. I was trying to bite him, so that he would have the wherwolf DNA in his veins. The wherwolf DNA is more powerful than the werewolf DNA. He would have become a wherwolf instead of a werewolf. It is the only cure for werewolves. As a wherwolf, he would keep his mind when he transfers, whenever he wanted. He thought I was trying to attack him, though. That is why he turned on me. The downside to being a wherwolf is, if you stay a wolf for too long, you can't go back. That's what happened to me. I can never be human again."

He was quiet for a little while, then looked over at Hermione. She seemed to be in a lot of pain. "There is something you can do for me, and then your brother. Bite us both, please. Otherwise you'll soon have two werewolves near you. Your brother managed to bite me before I stunned him. The moon is coming out, and I will soon transform. Please do it now."

With that, she started shaking and moaning on the ground. Lupe ran over towards her just as the moon came out from behind the clouds.

"Where did she run off to?"

"Straight in here. I'm not sure if she turned later, but it looked like she was going straight."

Harry and Draco were in the Forest, looking for Hermione. Harry had sent Ginny to go get Dumbledore, both to get his help and to keep her safe. They weren't sure what they would find. They heard a moaning and crying a ways to their right, and they hurried in that direction. When they arrived in the clearing, the first thing they saw was Hermione, spread out on the ground bleeding from a couple places. Draco ran over to her and picked her up as Harry looked around for clues as to what happened. All he found was blood on the ground around where Hermione had lain. Draco looked at Harry, then started running back toward the castle with Hermione in his arms. He took her straight up to the infirmary, and laid her on a bed. Harry ran off to get Madame Pomfry. They returned shortly and She began to look Hermione over.

"These look like bites, but I'm not sure of what yet. I'll have to run some tests, but I'll try to figure out what happened. She's lost a lot of blood, so I'll give her a blood regenerative potion, but besides that, she'll have to sleep. I suggest you two run along and get some rest. you both look horrible." They both briefly nodded their heads but stayed where they were. "I need to get her changed. Will you both please leave." She was a little more forceful this time and they reluctantly moved away. "You can come visit her in the morning. Now move it." They slowly left the infirmary, not talking and not looking at each other.

Madame Pomfry had just gotten Hermione changed when she woke up and looked around her wildly. "Whe- where am I?" "You're in the infirmary, dear. Now drink these. One is a blood replenisher, and the other is a dreamless sleep potion."

Hermione looked down at herself and breathed a sigh of relief. "It worked. I didn't think it would work. It worked!" Madame Pomfry just looked at her and said, "tell me in the morning dear. I'll run some blood tests tonight, but I'll want you to tell me what happened in the morning."

Hermione looked at her strangely. "Please don't tell anyone. Not even Dumbledore. Please. I'm not ready. Please don't tell anyone." She drifted off to sleep.

Madame Pomfry was very surprised about the blood test results, but like she was asked, she said nothing.

A/N: wow. A long chapter there. Over 1,200 words! I hope you like it. much will be explained in the next chapter. REVIEW!

A/N: Wow. Its been a long time since I updated this one. I can't even remember who reviewed for the fifth chapter, and I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up. Thank you to all who did review, please do so again! I'm going to try to write the fifth chapter of CSomTSUL as well. I'll be very thankful to get many, many reviews! (hint, hint) Please read this and review, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Spirit of a Wolf

Chapter Six:

Malfoy and Harry walked out of the infirmary together, an uncomfortable silence between them. Both of them were thinking about Hermione. Images of Hermione, running of into the forest, laying in a pool of blood in the clearing, laying ashen-faced upon the bed in the infirmary, kept flashing through his head. Then he thought about how she had looked at him so tenderly just before she ran off, and how she had snuggled into his arms while he held her. He had refused to let Potter help him carry her; he had wanted to be able to touch her pale skin and be near to her for as long as possible. All of a sudden he started to worry, what if she didn't recover? She had lost a lot of blood through numerous wounds, would she be okay? What would he do now? He started trembling at the thought of losing her for good now, when he was so close to finding her, telling her how he felt.

Harry looked over at him and wondered if this could truly be Draco Malfoy, Muggle-hater. There had been many changes in him since last year, when his father was killed by aurors, but what was going on with him now?

"Listen, Malfoy, we need to talk. Now that Hermione is safe, you need to explain to me what is going on between you two. Now."

Malfoy turned and leaned against the cool stone wall, sliding down the side so that he was sitting on the floor with his head hanging.

"There is nothing between us, and there probably never can be. She hates me, and she should. I treated her so badly, but it wasn't my fault! My father made me dispies muggles and muggleborns. I've never actually hated her, in fact, I love her. I wish I could tell her how I feel, make all the past pain I caused her go away. I want her to forgive me. I don't know what I'd do if she doesn't make it."

Draco couldn't figure out why he was telling all this to Potter, of all people. The only reason he could come up with was that he was just so overcome with fear and worry, he had to let his feelings out. After his parents died last year, there was only one person he lived for. He survived by watching her every movement in class, hoping she'd notice him and smile at him, give him some sort of clue that she appreciated him. All she did was ignore him for the most part. Every time he tried to speak to her though, he could only say mean and nasty things. He hung his head in shame.

Harry, for his part, was completely taken aback by this sudden display of emotion. It was a foreign idea, something he would have laughed at had the idea been proposed to him but a week before. Yet, here he was, sitting there on the stone floor at Harry's feet, humbled and bare. Harry felt a wave of pity sweep over him, and he wanted to forgive him of everything he'd done to them in the past, to comfort him in the face of Hermione's injuries.

Harry looked down and put his hand out to Malf- no, Draco. Draco looked up at the hand, and then at the smile on Harry's face, and took the proffered limb. Harry pulled him to his feet and looked him in the eye. "Everything is going to be all right. Lets just start over- as friends. The two boys smiled at each other and walked down the hall and around the corner together. Dumbledore steeped out from behind a tapestry in the hallway.

"Well, well, well. It seems like my ideas have started working. Now that those two are okay, I'll go check on Miss Granger." He chuckled to himself as he walked down the hallway towards the infirmary.

The next morning, Hermione awoke and immediately thought about the Transfiguration exam they had next week.

"I need to study!"

"Well, we should all be relieved that she's awake and back to normal."

Hermione shaded her eyes from the sun pouring through the open window and looked around her bed. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were standing there smiling, and Malfoy stood slightly apart from them, looking slightly bewildered. "Wh-what time is it?"

It was Malfoy that answered her question. "Its about lunch time, on Saturday. The Ball was last night. Ar-are you okay? You had some pretty nasty bites on you last night."

The memories of last night came flooding back to her, and she instinctively put her hand on her shoulder, where the werewolf had bitten her. She removed the dressing and found no wound of any kind. There was blood on the dressing, but no wound or scar where it had come from. The only thing there was a small symbol, looking like it had been tattooed into her skin, of a crescent moon. She then lifted up the edge on her nightgown, and looked at her legs under the sheets. There, on her ankle, where the wherwolf had bitten her, was another symbol, this one was an indistinct shape. She wondered about it for a little while, but came back from her imaginings when Harry and Ron shuffled around next to her and knocked over a clay vase of flowers. Quick as a cobra, her arm shot out and grabbed the vase before it fell. She carefully placed it back on the table and turned to find their stunned faces looking at the vase. She was about to talk to them, to ask them why they were so stunned, but just then Madame Pomfry came by and told them to leave, that Hermione needed sleep. Hermione gladly accepted the potion that was offered to her, and she sank back into a deep sleep, not noticing her friends looking at her oddly.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny left the infirmary, shocked at what they had just witnessed. Draco hadn't seen it too well, he had been on the other side of the bed. "Guys, what was so surprising about her catching the vase as it fell?"

"You didn't see it, did you? you wouldn't be asking that if you had." Harry was choosing his words carefully. "She caught the vase with one hand, never spilling a drop of water or ruffling a leaf. And when she let go of the vase, there were slight indentations in the clay where her fingertips had touched it. it was if she had grabbed it with claws, faster than our eyes could follow. I'm not sure about you guys, but I want to know what happened in the woods last night. I'm going to find out what bit her."

Ginny spoke up here. "I don't think you guys noticed, you were preoccupied with the vase, but her eyes were different. She used to have brown eyes, but just now, they were yellow almost. Like an animal's." The boys thought about this for a while.

"Is it possible she was bitten by a werewolf?"

"No, Ron, I don't think so. She would have transformed right then, but instead, she stayed human. I carried her. I don't think she's a werewolf."

The four friends walked down the hall together, trying to figure out what was going on.

A/N: I thought that was a good place to stop. We know what's going on, but they don't. Hee hee… please review! It would mean so much to me.

"May Fair Winds and Sweet Waters be Yours"

A/N: I got an awesome idea for my fic while watching Charmed, so I'm updating sooner than I expected. I had planned on working on my story, but after this idea, I had to work it into a fic, this fic. It may or may not be a _good_ idea, and it may or may not make it into this chapter, but I'm working on it. .

Disclaimer: I DON'T own HP, or anything from Charmed, although the idea was so small, I doubt anyone would be able to place it from there.

Chapter 7: Freedom at Last

It had been four days since she woke up from that night in the Forbidden Forest, four long, agonizing days that Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let Hermione out of bed. Hermione was getting really sick of it, and had taken to sneaking out of bed in the middle of the night.

She began to notice different things about her changing, her eyesight, hearing and smell were all sharper, her eyes in the mirror were starting to turn into more of golden hues than her original chocolate, and she was able to creep around any obstacle in the night soundlessly.

It seemed like people were a bit more nervous around her, as well. Malfoy, Harry, and Ginny still came to visit her, but between classes and Gryfindor quidditch, Malfoy was soon the only one visiting her regularly. She even came to anticipate his visits, as long as it gave her someone to talk to. They always talked about random things, like life back home and quidditch. He soon saw how bored of it she was and quit trying to get her to talk about it.

During the day, the only things that kept her from going completely insane from boredom were the constant homework assignments from her missed classes and Malfoy's infrequent visits. She hadn't even tried tuning into a wolf form, even though Lupe had assured her she'd be able to.

Finally, on the sixth agonizing day after the Ball, Madame Pomfrey couldn't find another reason to make her stay, and grudgingly said she could go. The first thing Hermione did back in her own room was run to the bathroom and take a long hot shower. Then she went to go find Harry, Ron, and Ginny.

She opened the Double doors to the Great Hall and walked in to find everyone eating dinner. As she passed by and people began to notice her, the Hall fell silent. She could hear murmuring from the far back, people who evidently thought she couldn't hear them. She walked over to Gryfindor table and sat between an expectant Ginny and a nervous Ron.

"Uh, guys? What's going on?"

Her words fell upon deaf ears as nobody would look at her or answer her question. Ron just slid away slightly. Harry finally looked up from directly across the table and hesitantly began to explain.

"Well, Hermione, you see, Lavender Brown saw Draco carrying you to the Hospital Wing the night of the Ball and has been going around telling everyone that you and Draco have been having an affair, and that you upset him and he killed you the night of the ball, that's why he's been hiding out in the Hospital Wing with you and why his housemates don't like him anymore, and why he never shows up to meals anymore, and…" he stopped momentarily to catch his breath from his long winded roughly whispered sentence that half the Hall could hear and Hermione interrupted him.

"Me, have an affair with Malfoy? I mean come on! Sure, he's nice to talk to when all your other so-called friends abandon you in the Hospital Wing for nearly a week, and no, he isn't that hard on the eyes…" She realized what she was saying as the entire Great Hall sucked in their collective breath.

"Oh Dear Goddess… What am I thinking?"

She stood up and looked around, seeing that every single eye in the Great Hall was upon her, and ran from the Hall, not bothering to worry about where she went.

Ron stood up and, after glaring at Harry, started to run after her. Harry just looked dejected and mortified. Ginny reached over and put her hand on his arm.

"Its okay love, she hasn't found out about us." Nobody heard her but Harry, since after Hermione and then Ron ran out of the Hall, everyone had started talking again.

It wasn't until Hermione found herself at the Library did she slow down to think. What the Hell had she been thinking? Sure, she'd gotten to know him better during his visits to the Hospital Wing, and she'd learned about his soft side while laughing at the same pranks, but having a crush on him? Impossible! This was the guy who had tormented you for five and a half years! But another voice in her head couldn't help but say, 'You know he has a nice ass.'

"NO! NO NO NO!"

She started screaming and raving. She could hear somebody coming towards her, still a distance off but coming closer, and, not stopping to think, focused on the image of a wolf and felt her body changing. She didn't stop until she was sure she was fully wolf, and then ran away as quickly as she could in the opposite direction.

Draco turned the corner just in time to see the back of a wolf run down the hall and around another corner. He looked down at his feet and found a mess of bloody rags, clothing that Hermione had been wearing earlier. He looked up, the direction the wolf had taken, and with pure hatred burning in his eyes, ran down the hall after it.

She was running as much from fear as she was from pain. She had no idea that the transformation would be so painful. The feeling of having her flesh rip apart, her joints bend backwards, and the annoying, itchy memory of fur growing out all over her body stayed with her as she ran. She didn't care where she was going, she just had to get out. Outside, in the Forest! Yes, the Forest was the place she could hide.

Ron had been running for a while, searching for Hermione, when he heard a faint screaming coming from the direction of the Library.

"Hermione!"

He ran towards the Library, wand held out at the ready. When he came to the Library entrance, all he found was a shredded, bloody pile of the clothing Hermione had been wearing, and Dra- no, Malfoy's wand. In his haste, he had forgotten it.

With Blood rage rising and obscuring his reason, Ron's only thought was to kill Malfoy for hurting Hermione, his precious Hermione. In a blind rage, he followed the bloody tracks down the hallway, not even stopping to notice that they were animal tracks, not human.

Once more there was only silence and the only evidence that people had recently passed by there was a bloody pile of rags and a forgotten wand.

A/N: That felt like a good place to stop. You guys should all be proud of me! I sat down and wrote this entire chapter in one go! My idea didn't get put into this chapter, but other sorts of emotional upheaval replaced it, for now. My idea will come into play soon enough, don't you worry. I just think this current strand is going to continue for a few more chapters. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think!

A/N: Okaaaayyy… my computer is being reeeeeaaallyyyyy evil right now. I'm gonna hafta post later. Grrrr! scares a bunch of little kids Take that computer! HA HA HA!

A/N: Okay, I've got three things going on at once, but I'll try to get them all written tonight. I've got this, the 8th chapter of SoaW, the first chapter of Cultural Confusion, and my newest, a one-shot fic called Memoirs of a Broken Soul. Please read and review them all. I've been dying to write CC for a few days now, and I promise, I am trying to make it as funny as possible. MoaBS is a deep and thought- provoking narration that could possibly be continued, but I'll only write more on it and CC if I get good responses. Please read them!

Oh, BTW, for those of you who have read and liked Princess of the Rising Sun, tell me so or I'm going to remove it at the end of Feb. I haven't gotten a very good response to it, so if you want me to keep it, please tell me so and I will. It was a good idea, but I think it was moving a little too slowly for some people's tastes.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP. Nnnagh.

Recap:

Ron had been running for a while, searching for Hermione, when he heard a faint screaming coming from the direction of the Library.

"Hermione!"

He ran towards the Library, wand held out at the ready. When he came to the Library entrance, all he found was a shredded, bloody pile of the clothing Hermione had been wearing, and Dra- no, Malfoy's wand. In his haste, he had forgotten it.

With Blood rage rising and obscuring his reason, Ron's only thought was to kill Malfoy for hurting Hermione, his precious Hermione. In a blind rage, he followed the bloody tracks down the hallway, not even stopping to notice that they were animal tracks, not human.

Once more there was only silence and the only evidence that people had recently passed by there was a bloody pile of rags and a forgotten wand.

Spirit of a Wolf

Chapter Eight: I'm Going to Kill You!

Hermione ran. She ran without thinking about the path she was taking, or whether or not people would see her. One thought pounded in her brain, and that was to get out of the confinements of this castle.

Draco sped down hallways, trying to discern the path the wolf took. He was angry, though, and so didn't stop to think about it logically. He finally made it to the entrance of the castle and stopped, wondering if it had gone this way. A howling from the direction of the Forbidden Forest made up his mid and he followed it.

Ron was really angry, but for once he didn't let his anger cloud his reasoning. He followed the bloody tracks for as long as he could, but when they were no longer apparent, he thought about where Draco would try to hide Hermione.

"The Grounds!"

Hermione finally collapsed in a clearing deep into the Forest. She howled once, to voice her pain and fear. Surprisingly, Lupe showed up not long after.

"Hermione?"

She was so weak she could barely nod her head. Then, struggling, her story poured out like a river of words, all edged in pain. When she had completed, Lupe came over to her and started licked the wounds around her muzzle.

"Hermione, shhh. It's all right. I'm here for you. Listen to me, you need to change back into human form. There's another human headed this way. Unless you want to be discovered, focus on your human form. Just find the peace within your soul."

"But it hurt…so much…"

"Hush, its all right. It only hurt you physically because your were hurting emotionally. Whatever you are feeling at the time of changing changes how the changing progresses. The change combines the three main parts of you, your mind, body, and soul. If one is damaged, the others will be affected also. You need to find an inner calm and peace, and then the changes will be smooth and painless. Focus on that inner peace right now. The human is approaching quickly."

Hermione did as he said, and quickly began to change back into a human. When she had fully changed, she still had various open wounds on her body.

"Why am I still hurt? Shouldn't changing back heal those wounds?"

"If they were physical wounds, then yes. But those are emotional wounds. Some of them will leave permanent scars. The others will heal on their own with time."

He came over and started licking a particularly large one on her shoulder in an effort to stop the bleeding, but she was bleeding too fast and she soon passed out.

Not five minutes later, Draco sped into the clearing and saw Hermione first of all, laying sprawled out on the ground naked and covered in wounds. Then he saw a giant wolf standing over her with blood on his muzzle. Not stopping to think, he charged at the wolf and tried to get him away from Hermione.

Lupe was also trying to keep Draco away from Hermione, feinting and snarling so he'd back up. But the boy kept charging, so Lupe thought to feint and draw him away from the girl.

He snapped at Draco's leg, just a mere inch from biting through flesh, and then jumped back a few feet. As predicted, the boy was angered even more and gave chase. Lupe led him on like this until they were at the edge of the clearing, and then jumped around him, feinting bites and then ran. Not too fast to lose him, but fast enough so that the boy would give chase. With one final look at Hermione, Lupe ran off into the forest leading Draco on a wild goose chase.

Ron ran into the clearing just as Draco was running out, and hesitated on whether to give chase or take care of Hermione. He had just about made up his mind to give chase when Hermione stirred slightly in her sleep and Ron saw that she was wounded- and naked. He blushed furiously and then took his cloak off and wrapped it around her. He then picked her up and started back towards the castle, muttering under his breath the whole way about how he was going to kill Malfoy.

Draco was still fighting the wolf, but he was beginning to wear himself out. Lupe saw this and started to lead him towards the edge of the Forest, acting like he was wearing down also. Draco took new heart in this and chased after, occasionally catching up just to fall behind again. Right near the edge of the Forest, Lupe whirled around and made as if to take a last stand. Draco charged with one last hurrah but Lupe easily sidestepped it. He went to feint another bite at his leg, but Draco was too slow this time, and Lupe actually bit him on the ankle. Draco fell to the ground, unable to stand anymore, and swore curses at the back of the fleeing wolf.

Ron managed to carry Hermione all the way up to the Hospital Wing, but was tired after holding her that long. Madame Pomfrey came bustling out, and when she saw who it was, she wasn't that happy.

"Hermione again? This is the second time in two weeks she's been carried to the Hospital Wing after collapsing. What was she doing this time? No, don't answer that."

She went on muttering to herself as she prepared a bed and pulled a curtain around it.

"Here, set her down here. Lets takes a look at her now."

Ron stepped away outside and pulled the curtain closed, already knowing what Madame Pomfrey would find. The surprised hiss of exhaled breath told Ron that she had removed his cloak from Hermione's body. She pulled her head around the curtain and said accusingly to Ron, "Do you know who did this?"

"Yes I do. It was Malfoy. The little son of a b-"

"That's enough right there, Mr. Weasley, I don't need you to be cursing in the Infirmary." She pulled her head back inside the curtained area.

"Is she going to be all right, Madame Pomfrey?" He asked when she came back out, worry evident on his face.

"Yes, I believe she will. I gave her a blood regenerative potion and bandaged up her wounds. If I knew what made them I could probably do more, but as it is, I can only treat them like normal cuts."

It was a while before Draco managed to drag himself from the fringes of the Forest. He was bleeding from his ankle, and the loss of blood was making him weak. 'If only I had his wand', he would think ruefully over and over. 'If only…'

He finally pulled himself free from the underbrush and briefly registered that he was outside of Hagrid's hut before he passed out.

Hagrid was inside his hut eating dinner when he was alerted by a howling outside his hut. He ran outside with his crossbow, but the wolf had already fled. He was about to turn and go back inside, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw something sprawled out on the ground at the edges of the light. He went over to it and saw it was Draco, sprawled out and unconscious.

"Jimminey Cricket!"

he put his crossbow down inside his hut and went over and picked Draco up and started towards the castle. By now it was getting dark, but Hagrid made his way up to the castle effortlessly. Once in the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey came out, and after scowling at Draco, prepared a bed for him.

"Not this one, too. I had hoped I was done for the night." She continued to mutter to herself as she prepared this bed next to one already occupied and curtained.

"Here, place him on this bed. Let me have a look at him."

She took off his shirt, and finding no injuries, went to take off his pants.

"Ahem, Madame Pomfrey, I believe the wound is on his ankle. It looks like a pretty nasty bite."

"Are you the nurse or am I?" she snapped, but moved to his ankle. "I'm sorry Hagrid, its just been a tough day. Hermione over there came in not a half hour ago with rips in her flesh all over her body." She motioned to the curtained bed.

Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "Rips?"

"Yes Hagrid, it looks as if there were ruptures in her flesh. They haven't stopped bleeding yet. I'm doing all I can, but she's losing blood fast."

She turned back to Malfoy and finished bandaging his ankle. She was tempted to tell Hagrid what Weasley had told her about it being Malfoy's fault what had happened to her, but since she didn't know for sure, she refrained. Hagrid turned and left, and Madame Pomfrey was left with the two invalids in the Infirmary. She'd have to interrogate them both in the morning, but right now she just wanted to go to bed.

A/N: wow! Over 1,500 words! You guys should be proud of me! Please review what you think so far. I think I've left a couple clues as to the next few chapters, so I hope you guys'll like what comes up next. Don't forget to read the other fics and chapters I'm planning on posting really soon.

A/N: Okay, I got three reviews on chapter 8, and five on chapter 7. I recently realized that I haven't been thanking my reviewers, so, I'm replying to the three who reviewed chapter eight, and then I'm going to try to keep up.

Meg: I hope you keep reading. I have a whole long plot laid out, and the differences between the werewolf and the wherwolf are essential. That's all I'll say, but keep reading!

Liz: I've had a couple people say for me to keep all of them, so I will. I'm just going to put PotRS on hold for now. I will get back to it, but I have a couple things I need to do first. I'll try to get Cultural Confusion up as soon as possible. I'm a little stuck right now, but after I get over this block, I should be updating it frequently. I guess I have to do a sequel to MoaBS, so look out for it. I'm sorry its been so long, I've been really busy lately, and more than a little lazy.

Kat: I'm glad you like my fics, see above. BTW, don't call me that.

I'm glad you like them, please keep reading!

Disclaimer:

I don't own Harry Potter,

Never have,

Never will.

Just leave me alone,

And review.

Recap:

"Yes Hagrid, it looks as if there were ruptures in her flesh. They haven't stopped bleeding yet. I'm doing all I can, but she's losing blood fast."

She turned back to Malfoy and finished bandaging his ankle. She was tempted to tell Hagrid what Weasley had told her about it being Malfoy's fault what had happened to her, but since she didn't know for sure, she refrained. Hagrid turned and left, and Madame Pomfrey was left with the two invalids in the Infirmary. She'd have to interrogate them both in the morning, but right now she just wanted to go to bed."

Chapter 9:

Draco opened his eyes, unsure of what Standing there, naked in the moonlight with blood running down her body from numerous cuts, was Hermione. She looked like the angel of death, come down to claim him. He didn't care. If he had known that the angel of death looked like her, he would have killed himself long ago. She tenderly looked down at him and smiled. He smiled back. She looked so…perfect. That's the only word he could think of to describe her as she looked then, standing over him protectively. He reached for her hand and held it, whispering her name. A single tear rolled down her face, and he was slightly confused, but at a smile form her, all his fears were banished. This was truly bliss. He closed his eyes and awaited his departure from the living world.

He opened his eyes again, wondering what was happening, and his pupils were assailed by bright sunshine through the windows. He sat up in bed, searching for Hermione. There was no sign of her. He flopped back onto the bed. It had just been a dream. He only then noticed that he was in the infirmary. He sighed and closed his eyes as Madame Pomfrey came bustling over to him.

"Well, your injury has healed up nicely, it left a weird scar, but that's okay. You're done here, you can leave."

She was acting really weird, Draco decided, looking down at his ankle, where a scar of indistinct shape was located. He looked up as Madame Pomfrey, and watched as she moved away while muttering under her breath. He caught the words "bleeding to death", "middle of the night" and "how'd she get up" among some other, more colorful, language. He couldn't help but snigger. Someone had done something to make her mad, she'd never heard her curse like that before. He got up and went to his dormitory, desperately in need of a shower.

She ran. After waking up in the Hospital Wing for the second time in as many weeks, she panicked and ran. Her stay in the Hospital Wing had not been pleasant the last time, and base instincts told her to flee the unpleasant place. She still had some bandaged wounds, but they would heal in time as Lupe said. She must let her emotional wounds heal, and then her physical ones would do so as well. She stopped outside of her dormitory before going in. That meant she had to confront the causes of the emotional pain, and deal with it. Problem was, she wasn't exactly sure what some of the injuries were caused by. She knew the main ones were the feelings of hurt and betrayal caused by her friends participating in the rumors surrounding her and Malfoy. And of course, the whole feeling that the entire school was against her kind of hurt. The loss of her reputation was keenly felt, and her inward struggle on whether or not she truly liked Draco was confusing her. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more things she could come up with. She continued to think about it as she went into the bathroom to take a cold shower.

With recognition came acceptance, and she began to see that the things that had been plaguing her lately weren't really that big at all. Her reputation was ruined. Oh well. That gave her the chance to have a little fun. Maybe she should give the school what it wanted and really have an affair with Malfoy, like him or no. It would be fun. It was decided. She would mess with Malfoy, force him to fall madly in love with her. Seduce him if necessary. She was so busy planning that she hardly realized that most of her wounds were healed. She didn't notice at all the shape the scar on her ankle had taken.

Malfoy, on the other hand was thinking about the scar on his ankle. It looked like an undefined blob. He felt differently. It wasn't something easily recognizable, just something simple like heightened senses of smell and hearing. It was also weird. The scars on his back were starting to heal over for no reason. He had expected to have those scars forever. He was still thinking about it when he left the bathroom and came face to face with Hermione… wearing nothing but a towel.

(I wanted to stop here, but it would have been a short chapter, so I'll continue.)

At first. He was stunned. Was he imaging things again? Why would Hermione be standing outside his bathroom in nothing but a towel? Then he remembered. The Head Girl's Bathroom was just across the hallway from the Head Boy's. she must have been in the shower at the same time. These thoughts came and went in a flash, and he briefly registered that he was only wearing a towel, as well, and Hermione gave him a strange look and came up to him. He was even more stunned. He had expected her to run after noticing that he was seeing her in just a towel, "A rather flimsy towel at that", he couldn't help but think. Then all thinking capacity was halted as she came up to him and started kissing him. He was frozen with surprise and couldn't move. Hermione took advantage of his surprise and steered him towards his room, still kissing him.

He briefly came to himself and started to push her away before another part of his brain took over and he started kissing her back. It was pure heaven, the feeling of her body pressed up against his, the feel of her mouth. He picked her up and carried her into his room. He put her on the bed and climbed in as well, both towels laying forgotten on the floor by the door. He didn't recall much afterwards, except the fact that it was pure and simple ecstasy. He awoke later in the middle of the night, to find her curled up against him sound asleep. He momentarily thought about how they hadn't used any protection, before falling back asleep.

A/N: there, a little bit of obvious foreshadowing on a few things. For those of you out there surprised by the change in my writing style, I just felt like the storyline needed it, and I think it was an okay addition to the story. Kat, IT WASN'T YOUR INFLUENCE THAT CAUSED ME TO WRITE LIKE THIS! I"VE HAD THE IDEA FOR A WHILE! DO NOT CLAIM INFLUENCE OVER MY WRITING! There I had to get that out. unless you're Kat, ignore the above statement. REVIEW!

A/N: I know, it's been a long time, but I am working on soooo many things at once, I just haven't had that much time to write. I'm also working on the next chapters to a couple of other fics, as well, so don't worry. To all of you out there who loved Memoirs of a Broken Soul, I'm righting another, similar one that helps complete the story. It is called Blood of a Broken Soul. I may even continue in the whole "Broken Soul" strand and keep adding to it, if I get enough reviews and if my muses do not leave me. Thank you for bearing with me since it's been a while since I updated this fic.

Disclaimer:…I don't own HP title, logos, or characters. (I would put something funny here, but I don't feel like it, and I feel like getting on with the story.

**Spirit of a Wolf**

Chapter 10:

When Draco awoke the next morning, he was alone. For a fearful moment he was afraid that everything that had happened last night had been a dream, until he rolled over and found a note on the pillow next to him.

"Meet me in the astronomy tower at eight o'clock tonight, if you love me. You will not see me until then."

Draco rolled over and looked at his clock. 7:00 in the morning.

"Damn. It's still another 13 hours."

He got up, took a shower, and got dressed before heading down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. It was nearly empty when he got there; it being Saturday, most people were still in bed. Nobody even batted an eye when he came into the hall. After yesterday's display, it seemed like nobody wanted to feel responsible for spreading ugly rumors. Besides that, Harry and Ron had promised to personally beat up anyone that spread rumors about Hermione, and, since all of their training for the Final Battle with Voldemort, and quidditch, they were both in excellent shape. Draco was as well, so people were equally uninclined to talk about him.

Draco ate alone and went to the Library, hoping to find Hermione, even though he didn't really expect to see her there. She had said in her note that he wouldn't see her until 8:00, after all. He wondered where she was, though, and to distract himself and help pass the time, he picked up a random book and started reading. Before long, though, he had fallen asleep. While he was asleep, somebody came out of the shadows and picked up the note from his lap where it lay. They read it quickly and brought out another piece of parchment and wrote something, then put both scraps in Draco's lap and hurried away.

Meanwhile, Hermione had gotten up early and sent an owl off to Lupin, asking to meet with him sometime in the next week, before the full moon. Then she went for a walk down to the grounds, meaning to go into the forest and talk with Lupe. Before she could enter the forest, however, she met up with Hagrid and was forced to forgo her original plan, because Headgirl or not, no students were allowed in the Forest.

"Oye! Hermione! What'cha do'n thar?"

Thinking fast, Hermione came up with an excuse.

"Hey Hagrid! I was just going for a walk around the grounds. It's really beautiful around here this time of year."

"Yes, indeed. Tis' mighty nice out. Hey, why don't 'ou come into me 'ut fer a nice 'ot cup 'o tea, eh?"

"That would be lovely, Hagrid."

Neither of them saw the shadow detach itself from the others in the forest and slink away.

It was an hour before Hermione could get away. Don't get her wrong, she enjoyed long talks with Hagrid about various creatures, but at the moment, she really wanted to talk to Lupe.

For a few days now, she had been toying with the idea of helping Lupin with his werewolf problem. If what Lupe said was true, Lupin could shed the werewolf curse and be almost normal again. Granted, he'd have to learn all about being a wherwolf, but she was getting through that as well. It had to be less painful than the unwilling transformations, at least. She had to learn from Lupe whether she'd be able to bite him yet, or if Lupe could do it if she could not.

Hagrid was watching her as she left, so she didn't go into the forest directly. Instead, she wandered towards the Herbology greenhouses, making as if to walk around the gardens. When she was out of sight from Hagrid's hut, and everyone else, she believed, she turned and went into the Forest.

Now that she could transform and defend herself, she had no fear of walking into the Forbidden place. In fact, the deeper in she went, the more she began to feel at home. Her senses tingled with new experiences, new things she had never before been part of. She could hear every little scratch in the dirt, every brush of a leaf, every animal that was breathing around her. But as one, they stayed away, always just out of sight.

She mentally called out to Lupe, but got no response so she decided to go deeper. When she reached a nice little clearing, she sat down on the ground and started to clear her mind of all thoughts. Then she undressed and began to change. She emptied her mind, and filled it with the image of what she was becoming. When completed, she felt no pain, and only a few slight scars were buried in her fur to remind her of her past experience.

She gathered up her clothes in her mouth, and began to wander the forest, looking for signs of the two wherwolf brothers. There were two animals in the Forest that had seen her transformation and took a certain interest to it. One of them sped of to go tell another of her coming, while the second one, a rat, hurried off another way to warn his master.

Draco, meanwhile, had awoken to find a second note in his lap, in Hermione's handwriting. He was minutely disappointed that she'd come and gone without waking him, but he settled to reading what it said. It read:

"Draco, Darling, I changed my mind. I heard that another couple is planning to meet in the Astronomy tower tonight, and I want to be alone with you. Besides, 8:00 is too late. I miss holding you already. Meet me in the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom at 7:00. Don't come early, I want to surprise you with something. I'll see you then!

Hermione"

He looked at it, and read it through three more times, to make sure he had read it right, and then looked at his watch. It was 5:00.

"Well, I guess I'll go grab a bite to eat, and then I'll go to my room and get changed. This seems kind of strange, though. Oh well, I'll see what she wants tonight."

Little did he know that evil was afoot…

A/N: Okay, folks! Review and tell me what you think!


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